December Newsletter

BFIRST is a UK registered charity which trains surgeons and their teams working in the most resource poor countries in the world to enable them to undertake reconstructive Plastic Surgery independently in an equitable and sustainable manner, thus releasing children and adults from the state of poverty and destitution associated with physical disability, injury and disease, amenable to surgical treatment.

BFIRST also provides educational resources for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons through our Webinar series.

In the first BFIRST newsletter of 2025 we bring you up to date with our latest activities undertaken by BFIRST and hope that they inspire you to get involved!

Webinars

There are no webinars lined up for January, but if you have missed any of the webinars from last year you can watch them on our website including some fantastic webinars for revision of key topics within Plastic Surgery!

Education

Free online surgical skills course!

Interested in developing your basic surgical skills?

Mr Hamid Tehrani, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, is collaborating with BFIRST to offer 3 different online surgical skills courses. They are fully virtual and can be completed at your own pace and will be most useful for medical students and junior surgical trainees.

If you are interested in enrolling yourself or junior colleagues in this course for free please contact BFIRST on info@bfirst.org.uk

News

New Board Member Co-opted to the BFIRST Board

We welcome Dr Brendan Sloan as our BBA representative on the BFIRST Board.
Dr Sloan is also the Overseas Committee Chair on the BBA. He has been a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield since 2016, after training in West Yorkshire and an ICU fellowship in Toronto. He has been a core member of the Burns MDT since his appointment and is passionate about training and education, having served as ICU Faulty Tutor, as well as helping run local, regional and national teaching on Burns Critical Care for medical, nursing and therapy staff. As the Research Champion for ICU and Anaesthesia at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals he is also passionate about research, including burns research, for which he is an author on several publications by the Pinderfields Burns team.

A Royal Mention

We had a special mention by the BAPRAS Patron, Princess Anne, during her address at the BAPRAS congress!

Projects

The Gambia

In November 2024 the BFIRST team joined forces with Gam Med in a collaborative trip to The Gambia. Gam Med have been visiting The Gambia biannually for the last 7 years, and were formed following a collaboration between Gambian Surgeon Dr Kebba, who completed his surgical training in Brighton in the UK, and the Orthopaedic team at Brighton NHS trust.

When Dr Kebba returned to his home country The Gambia he was the only Orthopaedic Surgeon in this region. He retained strong ties to the UK and requested the help of his previous Orthopaedic colleagues to assist with the complex cases. His vision was to help ease the case load and to train local Orthopaedic surgeons in The Gambia to manage these cases.

This November the team comprised of 30 health care professionals, including surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, and therapists. The Gam Med model involves running a clinic on the first day where patients who are pre-selected from the local surgical team are assessed. Appropriate cases are selected and prioritised according to clinical need and urgency. The visiting team then spend the remainder of the week operating on these cases in an MDT approach, and follow up is carried out by the local team with remote/ virtual assistance from the visiting team once they have returned home.

As an organisation BFIRST places a high value on the training and development of overseas plastic surgeons in LMIC’s. During the recent trip to The Gambia, BFIRST joined the Gam Med team for a scoping visit to assess the current state of plastic surgery services in this region. As part of this scoping visit, BFIRST delivered a 4-day teaching programme on the basics of Plastics Surgery. Their aim was to educate the current trainees whilst also assessing their current knowledge. This information could then be used to guide further input/ intervention should we be invited back in the future. The course was advertised using the connections Gam Med already had in The Gambia.

Topics included basics of wound closure, flaps, skin grafts, hand injuries soft tissue, bony injuries to the hand, lower limb trauma and Burns. The course covered the fundamentals of Plastics Surgery and was designed to start from the basics and build knowledge based on these. The students were from a diverse set of backgrounds with different levels of knowledge and expertise, and practical sessions were tailored to suit the different training grades.

It was noted that the trainees were more engaged with the practical sessions compared to the theoretical lectures, which will be considered when designing future training courses to ensure that we can deliver a more engaging programme for our students.

While more senior surgical trainees demonstrated a good level of base knowledge, and had some practical experience of the skills we were teaching, for most it was the first time they had had any formal teaching on surgical techniques such as local flaps and skin grafts, and it was the first time any of the trainees had experience with microsurgery.

Meabh McConnell joined the faculty as an experienced hand therapist and her input was invaluable, she was able to advise all the participants on correct splinting and management of these hand injuries. She was also able to lead a breakaway group for the therapists on the K wire practical day which meant they had more focussed teaching and remained engaged in the programme.

Zambia

In December 2024 Miss Barbara Jemec, plastic surgeon, now in Toronto and Julie Jones, Hand Therapist, Edinburgh visited the University Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia to start the collaboration with local Head of Department of plastic surgery Dr Chinena Banda and Dr Mildred Nakazwe, here seen preparing for theatres.

Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa. It is a LMIC and our focus will be Hand Surgery, both paediatric and adult surgery. Dr Banda trained in Japan, and two years’ ago returned to Zambia, to head up the plastic surgery unit in Lusaka, the capital. Apart from the need to support training, there is a dire need for sutures and instruments. Drs Banda and Nakazwe have had to purchase their own instruments and take them home after they have been cleaned after each surgery to be sterilized just before they are used again. Last year, all theatres stopped because of lack of sutures for three weeks.

BFIRST is delighted to be collaborating with both ReSurge and the Mia University, Japan to give this unit a helping hand. Shan Shan Jing, plastic Surgeon St George’s Hospital, London, and Professors Paul McArthur, BAPRAS President and Simon Kay, previous BAPRAS president, Leeds teaching Hospitals will be helping the project.

ADVERT: We are looking for one more paediatric plastic surgeon to join the team for in person visits, online tutorials and lectures and the development of a locally relevant curriculum in adult and paediatric hand surgery to join the team: interested parties to email : jemec.barbara@gmail.com with short CV and expression of interest.

Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons (CSPS) International Observership Award for 10,000 Canadian Dollars
Being in Canada and a member of the Canadian plastic surgery society, Barbara Jemec, was able to secure the yearly International Observership Award for Dr Banda, who will be attending the CSPS meeting in Toronto, a Nerve Transfer course and departments specializing in head and neck cancer and breast reconstruction in June 2025.

COSECSA - College of Surgeons of East, Central and South Africa

BFIRST has been represented by Barbara Jemec for the last two years working as one of the examiners in plastic surgery. The examination and meeting are held each year in December and in 2024 this was in Zimbabwe which was COSECSA’s 25^th anniversary. A joyful milestone which was celebrated in style!

Here celebrating women in surgery.

This year Dr Wambi from Uganda scored the top prize as best overall in Plastic Surgery.

Visit to the ALERT Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dr Abdurezak, was sponsored by BFIRST to spend a year in Taiwan under Professor Jeng, training in microsurgery, is now performing reconstructions which requires microsurgery in the department independently.

Drs Abdulrazek and Ataklitie, Consultant plastic surgeons, ALERT Hospital

Drs Abdulrazek and Ataklitie, Consultant plastic surgeons, ALERT Hospital
BFIRST is also currently sponsoring the current residents in a two-month fellowship including a microsurgery course at Ganga hospital, with Professor Sabapathy.

Drs Adamtachew Geta and Tigist Zawude, ALERT residents with Professor Raja Sabapathy, in the middle
.

Professor Sabapahty is a world-renowned plastic surgeon, who with his brother (orthopaedic surgeon) built up the Ganga Hospital in Coimbatore, India to be a centre for excellence in reconstructive surgery, especially for the upper limb and is one of our South-to-South partners.

We look forward to bringing you updates about their fellowship!

Affiliated BFIRST Projects

Breast Cancer Resource for Inter-speciality Training

and Education (BRITE) update

Breast cancer presents a growing and disproportionate health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. While incidence rates are reported to be lower than in high-income countries, mortality rates are significantly higher, creating a stark and tragic disparity. Despite limited cancer registers in Sub-Saharan Africa, the incidence of breast cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa surged by 247%, with Nigeria accounting for the highest number of cases, between 1990 and 2019. Over the same period, mortality rates in the region increased by 184%, with West Africa experiencing one of the world’s highest burdens.

The existence of a well-functioning multidisciplinary team (MDT) increased the 5-year survival of breast cancer patients by nearly 20%.

Last year plastic surgeons from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, National Hospital Abuja and University College Hospital Ibadan in Nigeria and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Accra and Komfe Anokye Teaching Hospital Kumasi in Ghana in partnership with BFIRST and the Association of Breast Surgeons, UK held BRITE courses across both countries, with both up-to-date treatment options and how to make the MDT work well. Nigerian and Ghanaian scholars from all specialties involved in the MDT visited four units in the UK (Luton and Dunstable, East and Noth Herts, Mersey and West Lankashire, and Manchester University Hospitals). We are indebted to the breast surgeons and radiologist (Miss Ruth James, Harleen Deol, Leena Chagla and Trupti Kulkarin) and their teams who hosted them.

Here is the team from Zaria, Nigeria, from left to right: Dr Abubakar Muhammad Lawal (Plastic surgery), Dr Nafisa Bello (Radiology) , Mrs Veronica Bako (Breast Care Nurse), Dr Daniyan Muhammad (Breast surgery)

The BRITE team is conducting a questionnaire survey to determine the inter-specialty competencies required by members of the MDT to work together holistically within the breast cancer care pathway.

Please click on the appropriate link below for consultants, residents and nurses to take part in the survey. Thank you!

Consultants Residents Nurses

Fellowships

BFIRST Fellows
In 2024, three BFIRST fellows completed BFIRST fellowships – Dr Salma Batool from Pakistan, Dr Sania Ahmad from Pakistan and Dr Nur Ul Ain from Pakistan.

We will bring you the report from Dr Nur Ul Ain’s fellowship soon!

Three 2024 BFIRST fellows have delayed their fellowships until 2025:
Dr Natasha Ilako – Location TBC
Dr Samrawit Girmay Abraha – Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle
Dr Ali Azeem – Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle / John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

After receiving applications from 31 doctors in 8 countries, we have selected six 2025 BFIRST fellows!
Dr Amanuel Tebikew Kebede from Ethiopia
Dr Mekonen Eshete Abebe from Ethiopia
Dr Olatunde Abdul Oyesanya from Nigeria
Dr Most Nurunnahar Begum from Bangladesh
Dr Ebere Oshinachi Ugwu from Nigeria
Dr Nangandu Amanda Malungo from Kenya

We look forward to bringing you updates from the BFIRST fellows visiting in 2025.

Events

BAPRAS

In December BFIRST hosted a session at the BAPRAS Congress 2024!
This session included a fascinating series of talks:

Reconstructive Surgery training for non-plastic surgeons in warzones: Ukraine by Dr Ivan Budzan

Partnerships, Practicalities and Progress: Tanzania by Mr Naveen Cavale and Ms Ailbhe Kiely

Nursing and Allied Professionals Subcommittee on BFIRST by Ms Clare Kelsey and Ms Jasmine Carney

Ideals in Gaza by Ms Victoria Rose

We will also hosted a successful Tapas Night social on the Wednesday evening which was generously sponsored by Scottvale and Triangle Surgical!

This was a fun evening out and a great opportunity to meet and socialise with like-minded individuals, and for some of us to finally meet in person after working together virtually!

Fundraising

This year we will be selling re-usable BFIRST surgical scrub hats! More details to follow!
Funds raised will help us educate and train surgeons in resource limited countries.

Other

BLAPRAS national plastic surgery conference teaching opportunity

Barts and the London Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (BLAPRAS) are running a National Plastic Surgery Conference on 1^st February 2025.

This event is aimed at undergraduates will include practical workshops for delegates, including – microsurgery, flap reconstruction, ear reconstruction and a virtual reality workshop.

BLAPRAS are looking for help leading these workshops, if you are interested or would like to know more information please let us know!

How can I help?

Volunteering

BFIRST is keen for surgeons, nurses and allied specialists to all get involved. Please do get in touch if you are interested. Reconstructive surgery is a team sport!

Also, if you have ideas for new projects that you would like to start, perhaps in new countries, or in areas we already work in, we would love to hear about these, and discuss further.